All the Presidents' Heads
Encyclopedia
"All the Presidents' Heads" is an episode of the sixth season
of the animated sitcom, Futurama
. It aired on Comedy Central
in the United States on July 28, 2011 as the twentieth episode of the sixth season
of Futurama
.
goes to his night job at the Head Museum, where he feeds the preserved heads of the Presidents of the United States
. He invites the Planet Express crew to the museum for a party, where they become drunk and begin ingesting the preservative fluid inside the jars. Doing so causes them and anyone standing nearby to temporarily travel back
in time to the eras each head originally came from. Professor Farnsworth
reasons that this time travel effect is caused by the rare powdered crystalline
opal
used to make the fluid, which keeps the heads alive in a temporal bubble. After learning from George Washington
's head that one of his own ancestors, David Farnsworth
, was one of American history's most nefarious traitors during the American Revolutionary War
, Professor Farnsworth becomes determined to salvage his family's reputation. He dumps the world's entire powdered opal supply into Washington's jar and licks the head, transporting himself, Fry, Leela, and Bender back to colonial-era New York.
The four learn from the Continental Congress
that David Farnsworth works at Benjamin Franklin
's print shop
in Philadelphia, where David would forge counterfeit money
that would threaten to destroy the country's economy should it enter circulation. Though they do not find David at the shop, they discover a fake Massachusetts
halfpenny and determine he has gone to Paul Revere
's silver shop
in Boston
. They capture David, and burn his forged money just as Revere begins his ride to alert Lexington
of the imminent British attack that would start the American Revolution. However, to light the fire, Fry takes one of the two lanterns hung at the Old North Church
, causing Revere to wrongly warn of the British attack "by land" rather than "by sea."
The four are suddenly sent back to 3011 and find that history has been altered: Great Britain has won the Revolutionary War and taken over all of North America
, turning it into "West Britannia
." In this alternate timeline, David Farnsworth killed George Washington and was rewarded with a dukedom
, making Professor Farnsworth a noble landowner and consort of the Queen of England
. Having depleted the world's crystalline opal supply, Farnsworth despairs that there is no way to travel to the past to fix their mistake until he notices an opal on the queen's crown. After stealing and crushing it, the four are able to use the preserved head of David Farnsworth to return to colonial times and restore the timeline. Once they return to 3011, everything is restored as it was before history was first altered, with one change; hanging in the Head Museum is a flag displaying Bender and a colonial spelling of his catchphrase "Bite my shiny metal ass." in place of the Gadsden flag
.
played a key role in the early development of television
(though he did not invent it, as the episode incorrectly states); Dean Farnsworth created the Farnsworth Lantern Test
, used to check for color vision
problems in military aviators and shipboard personnel; and David Farnsworth
, a colonial-era counterfeiter, was eventually hanged for his criminal activities.
After he arrives at his night job, Fry's boss accidentally calls him "Lars". Lars was the name of Fry's time traveling duplicate, a major character and plot point in the first Futurama movie, Bender's Big Score
.
60s Pop artist Andy Warhol is briefly seen in one scene with his famous black sunglasses.
The opening sequence features Zoich
, a proposed Russian XXII Winter Olympics
mascot, which itself was inspired by Futurama
s Hypnotoad.
The TARDIS
and the Fourth Doctor
make a brief appearance during the alternate-future sequence. This is the second cameo of the Fourth Doctor on Futurama within only seven episodes (he was last seen in "Mobius Dick").
Hermes can be seen wearing a Manhattan United soccer jersey, the design and colour of which is based on the Manchester United home kit of 2009.
The new flag hanging in the Head Museum is based on the Gadsden flag
, an early design carried into battle by the settlers during the American Revolution.
Amongst the fictional future presidential heads are jars labeled as Inara Serra and Zoe Washburne, characters from Firefly
, Amelia Pond from Doctor Who
and Owen Harper
from Torchwood
.
Dr. Zoidsmythe's walk is from the Monty Python
sketch The Ministry of Silly Walks
.
The sign when the Express crew enters Boston says "Welcome to Boston: Big Dig Groundbreaking Tomorrow." This is a reference to the expensive and long-laboring Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), known unofficially as the Big Dig, a megaproject in Boston which rerouted the Central Artery (Interstate 93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into a 3.5-mile (5.6-km) tunnel. The project was conceived of in the 1970s, and ended in 2007 after escalating costs, criminal charges, and four deaths arose.
Futurama (season 6)
Futurama sixth production season originally aired on Comedy Central from June 24, 2010 to September 8, 2011 and consisted of 26 episodes. The season marks the change of networks from Fox to Comedy Central.David X...
of the animated sitcom, Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
. It aired on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the United States on July 28, 2011 as the twentieth episode of the sixth season
Futurama (season 6)
Futurama sixth production season originally aired on Comedy Central from June 24, 2010 to September 8, 2011 and consisted of 26 episodes. The season marks the change of networks from Fox to Comedy Central.David X...
of Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
.
Plot
FryPhilip J. Fry
Philip J. Fry, known simply as Fry, is a fictional character, the main protagonist of the animated science fiction sitcom Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25.-Character overview:...
goes to his night job at the Head Museum, where he feeds the preserved heads of the Presidents of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. He invites the Planet Express crew to the museum for a party, where they become drunk and begin ingesting the preservative fluid inside the jars. Doing so causes them and anyone standing nearby to temporarily travel back
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
in time to the eras each head originally came from. Professor Farnsworth
Hubert J. Farnsworth
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, or simply The Professor, is a fictional character in the American animated television series Futurama. He is voiced by Billy West using a combination of impressions of Burgess Meredith and Frank Morgan. Farnsworth is the proprietor of the Planet Express delivery...
reasons that this time travel effect is caused by the rare powdered crystalline
Crystallinity
Crystallinity refers to the degree of structural order in a solid. In a crystal, the atoms or molecules are arranged in a regular, periodic manner. The degree of crystallinity has a big influence on hardness, density, transparency and diffusion. In a gas, the relative positions of the atoms or...
opal
Opal
Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. 3% to 21% of the total weight is water, but the content is usually between 6% to 10%. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most...
used to make the fluid, which keeps the heads alive in a temporal bubble. After learning from George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's head that one of his own ancestors, David Farnsworth
David Farnsworth
David Farnsworth was a Colonial Era counterfeiter. His crimes during the American Revolutionary War caught the personal attention of George Washington and he was eventually hanged for his involvement in a plot to destroy the young American economy by placing counterfeit money into circulation. The...
, was one of American history's most nefarious traitors during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Professor Farnsworth becomes determined to salvage his family's reputation. He dumps the world's entire powdered opal supply into Washington's jar and licks the head, transporting himself, Fry, Leela, and Bender back to colonial-era New York.
The four learn from the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
that David Farnsworth works at Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
's print shop
Printer (publisher)
In publishing, printers are both companies providing printing services and individuals who directly operate printing presses. With the invention of the moveable type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg around 1450, printing—and printers—proliferated throughout Europe.Today, printers are found...
in Philadelphia, where David would forge counterfeit money
Counterfeit money
Counterfeit money is currency that is produced without the legal sanction of the state or government to resemble some official form of currency closely enough that it may be confused for genuine currency. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or forgery. Counterfeiting is probably...
that would threaten to destroy the country's economy should it enter circulation. Though they do not find David at the shop, they discover a fake Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
halfpenny and determine he has gone to Paul Revere
Paul Revere
Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...
's silver shop
Silversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. They capture David, and burn his forged money just as Revere begins his ride to alert Lexington
Lexington, Massachusetts
Lexington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,399 at the 2010 census. This town is famous for being the site of the first shot of the American Revolution, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775.- History :...
of the imminent British attack that would start the American Revolution. However, to light the fire, Fry takes one of the two lanterns hung at the Old North Church
Old North Church
Old North Church , at 193 Salem Street, in the North End of Boston, is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent...
, causing Revere to wrongly warn of the British attack "by land" rather than "by sea."
The four are suddenly sent back to 3011 and find that history has been altered: Great Britain has won the Revolutionary War and taken over all of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, turning it into "West Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
." In this alternate timeline, David Farnsworth killed George Washington and was rewarded with a dukedom
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
, making Professor Farnsworth a noble landowner and consort of the Queen of England
Queen of England
Queen of England may refer to:* Any of the female monarchs of England* Any wife of a male monarch of England who functioned as his official consort during his reign; see List of English consorts...
. Having depleted the world's crystalline opal supply, Farnsworth despairs that there is no way to travel to the past to fix their mistake until he notices an opal on the queen's crown. After stealing and crushing it, the four are able to use the preserved head of David Farnsworth to return to colonial times and restore the timeline. Once they return to 3011, everything is restored as it was before history was first altered, with one change; hanging in the Head Museum is a flag displaying Bender and a colonial spelling of his catchphrase "Bite my shiny metal ass." in place of the Gadsden flag
Gadsden flag
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the snake is the legend "DONT TREAD ON ME." The flag was designed by and is named after American general and statesman Christopher Gadsden. It was also used by the...
.
Cultural references
Three ancestors mentioned by Professor Farnsworth are real people. Philo FarnsworthPhilo Farnsworth
Philo Taylor Farnsworth was an American inventor and television pioneer. Although he made many contributions that were crucial to the early development of all-electronic television, he is perhaps best known for inventing the first fully functional all-electronic image pickup device , the "image...
played a key role in the early development of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
(though he did not invent it, as the episode incorrectly states); Dean Farnsworth created the Farnsworth Lantern Test
Farnsworth Lantern Test
The Farnsworth Lantern Test, or FALANT, is a test of color vision developed specifically to screen sailors for shipboard tasks requiring color vision. It was developed by Dr. Dean Farnsworth while stationed at the Naval Submarine Research Laboratory in New London, CT during World War II...
, used to check for color vision
Color vision
Color vision is the capacity of an organism or machine to distinguish objects based on the wavelengths of the light they reflect, emit, or transmit...
problems in military aviators and shipboard personnel; and David Farnsworth
David Farnsworth
David Farnsworth was a Colonial Era counterfeiter. His crimes during the American Revolutionary War caught the personal attention of George Washington and he was eventually hanged for his involvement in a plot to destroy the young American economy by placing counterfeit money into circulation. The...
, a colonial-era counterfeiter, was eventually hanged for his criminal activities.
After he arrives at his night job, Fry's boss accidentally calls him "Lars". Lars was the name of Fry's time traveling duplicate, a major character and plot point in the first Futurama movie, Bender's Big Score
Futurama: Bender's Big Score
Futurama: Bender's Big Score is an Annie Award-winning direct-to-video film based on the animated series Futurama. It was released in the United States on November 27, 2007. Bender's Big Score, along with the three follow-up films, comprise season five of Futurama, with each film being separated...
.
60s Pop artist Andy Warhol is briefly seen in one scene with his famous black sunglasses.
The opening sequence features Zoich
Zoich
Zoich was a proposed mascot for the XXII Winter Olympics, which took first place in the official online poll to select a mascot for the 2014 Sochi games. Despite being a popular Internet character, the committee chose not to introduce it to the final round of the voting...
, a proposed Russian XXII Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
mascot, which itself was inspired by Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
s Hypnotoad.
The TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
and the Fourth Doctor
Fourth Doctor
The Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
make a brief appearance during the alternate-future sequence. This is the second cameo of the Fourth Doctor on Futurama within only seven episodes (he was last seen in "Mobius Dick").
Hermes can be seen wearing a Manhattan United soccer jersey, the design and colour of which is based on the Manchester United home kit of 2009.
The new flag hanging in the Head Museum is based on the Gadsden flag
Gadsden flag
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the snake is the legend "DONT TREAD ON ME." The flag was designed by and is named after American general and statesman Christopher Gadsden. It was also used by the...
, an early design carried into battle by the settlers during the American Revolution.
Amongst the fictional future presidential heads are jars labeled as Inara Serra and Zoe Washburne, characters from Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
, Amelia Pond from Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and Owen Harper
Owen Harper
Owen Harper is a fictional character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "Exit Wounds"....
from Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
.
Dr. Zoidsmythe's walk is from the Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
sketch The Ministry of Silly Walks
The Ministry of Silly Walks
"The Ministry of Silly Walks" is a sketch from the Monty Python comedy troupe's television show Monty Python's Flying Circus, episode 14, which is entitled "Face the Press". The episode first aired in 1970. A shortened version of the sketch was performed for Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl...
.
The sign when the Express crew enters Boston says "Welcome to Boston: Big Dig Groundbreaking Tomorrow." This is a reference to the expensive and long-laboring Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), known unofficially as the Big Dig, a megaproject in Boston which rerouted the Central Artery (Interstate 93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into a 3.5-mile (5.6-km) tunnel. The project was conceived of in the 1970s, and ended in 2007 after escalating costs, criminal charges, and four deaths arose.